November 7, 2002 - Argentina: Salta to Iguazu to Buenos Aires
Low Altitude VW Polo Roadtrip: One morning an Italian, an American, 2 Britons, and I set out on at 3000km journey across northern Argentina. Approximately 100 meters into the journey the car ran out of gas and the battery died. That should have been a sign. But we solved the problems and continued about 3 hours to the middle of nowhere when the car decided to die completely. Two of the others hitched back to the nearest town, while 3 of us sat in the hear for a few hours until 2 strangers appeared with 3 beers and a note with instructions to abandon the car. After spending the night in a hotel that had a Jon Bon Jovi painting and looked like an aircraft hanger, we got a VW Polo and continued on the bumpy roads. We only had one flat tire. My first view of Iquazu Falls was as I approached the Garganta del Diablo (throat of the devil). The falls immediately rose high on my list of favorite amazing natural wonders. We returned the next day to do the walks above and below the falls and we got soaked on a boat ride into the falls. The next day I entered Brazil without a visa (but nothing a 10 peso bribe wont solve) to get the panoramic views of the falls. We hit the road again and were surprised when we actually arrived in Buenos Aires and only had to attach the bumper twice on the way. All and all it was a memorable journey.
November 13, 2002 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
As far as big cities (that I have visited in South America) go, Buenos Aires is by far my favorite: big pedestrian areas, good food, and tango in the street. I spent a week meandering through the streets, eating well, and enjoying the wine.
November 21, 2002 - Santiago, Pucon, and Puerto Varas, Chile
I crossed over to Santiago via Mendoza. The trip took me to nice immigration offices high in the Andes with snow, waterfalls, and views of huge mountains. I met Melissa and Jen at the airport for their 3 week visit. We walked around Santiago for a day, and went to the coast for a day. Three nights in Pucon and 30 feet of rain later and we were only rewarded with views of the base of the volcano. It was impossible to stay dry, so we spend a day immersed in water. First we went rafting in some fun class 2 and 3 rapids, and then we sat in the thermal baths for a couple hours. Heading further south we got to Puerto Varas and woke to nothing but blue skies. We spent a day looking at lakes, volcanos, and waterfalls between Puerto Varas and Argentina.
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